Although needs of an infant are generally limited to warmth, sleep, food and hygiene, caring for an infant is indeed a formidable task. As a result, infant care providers often seek products and methods which make caring for an infant's needs easier for the care provider as well as more beneficial for the infant. Numerous baby products such as baby cribs, baby bottles, food utensils, strollers and the like have made infant care simpler and more enjoyable for the care provider as well as more beneficial for the infant. Specifically in the area of hygiene, disposable diapers have dominated the marketplace over washable, re-usable cloth diapers. However, regardless of the choice between disposable and re-usable diapers by the care provider, problems linger that are associated with changing soiled diapers of infants.
Often, where appropriate, the care provider changes the infant's soiled diaper on a bed, in a crib or on a changing table. When standing while changing the soiled diaper with the infant on the bed or in the crib, the care provider tends to hunch over the infant which can cause back pain. While sitting on the bed while changing the infant's diaper, the care provider has to turn his/her torso sideways to gain a proper vantage position to change the soiled diaper. Such turning can also cause the care provider back pain when changing the infant's diaper while sitting in this turned position. Perhaps a better place to change the soiled diaper is by laying the infant on a more elevated surface such as a top surface of a dresser. This elevated surface allows the care provider to stand directly in front of the infant without having to hunch. In turn, back pain from unusual body positions is alleviated. Unfortunately, the top surface of the dresser is hard and often is quite cold for placing a partially clad or completely nude infant thereon.
A towel or some other sheet material typically fabricated from cloth can help somewhat to add comfort for the infant when being changed on the top surface of the dresser. However, particularly when the infant is feeling frisky, this sheet material begins to slide about the top surface and become disheveled thereby impeding the care provider's efforts in changing the soiled diaper. Of course, when disheveled, the infant is once again exposed to the cold, hard surface of the dresser. Furthermore, other than a careful and watchful care provider, nothing else assists in retaining the infant on the top surface of the dresser. Thus, extreme caution and utmost attention must be taken when changing an infant's diaper on the top surface of the dresser because an active infant can potentially fall off of the dresser.
In lieu of a towel or sheet material, a pillow is sometimes used to provide comfort for the infant and protect the infant from the cold surface. The pillow can also slide around the top surface during changing. Furthermore, it is also possible that the pillow casing can become soiled while changing the infant's diaper. The casing and quite commonly the pillow itself must be laundered to a level of sufficient sanitization before use.
Changing an infant's diaper while travelling can be exceptionally challenging. For example, when traveling on an airplane, the tiny restrooms simply are not conducive for changing the infant's diaper. If the airplane restroom does not provide a fold-out changing table, the infant must be laid on a very small sink counter top in order to be changed. Another example when travelling with an infant is changing the infant in a public restroom. Fortunately, some public restrooms provide the care provider with a fold-down changing table. Unfortunately though, these fold-down changing tables in both airplane restrooms and public restrooms are cold, hard surfaces which have the same inherent disadvantages for changing the infant on top surfaces of dressers.
There is a need to provide a cushion which can be placed on the top support surface of dressers, changing tables, sink counter tops or other support structures so that the infant can lay comfortably on a soft, resilient surface while the infant's diapers can be safely and easily changed. It would be advantageous if such a cushion incorporated structure which would inhibit the infant from rolling off of the cushion and subsequently off of the support surface. There is also a need to provide a cushion that can be secured to the support structure in order to prevent the cushion for sliding about the support surface while changing the infant's diaper. There is also a need to provide a cushion which is suitable portable to render the cushion sufficiently convenient and compact for travelling. It would also be advantageous for such a cushion to be resistant to soiling. The present invention satisfies these needs and provides these advantages.